whale1
/weɪl
/noun (plural same or whales)
A very large marine mammal with a streamlined hairless body, a horizontal tail fin, and a blowhole on top of the head for breathing.
- Order Cetacea. See baleen whale and toothed whale.
- Come face to face with polar bears, walruses, harbour seals and beluga whales.
- Sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters, porpoise and whales are common around the islands.
Synonyms
cetacean, leviathan
Phrases
a whale of a ——
have a whale of a time
Origin
Old English hwæl, of Germanic origin.
Rhymes
whale2
/weɪl/verb [with object] informal, chiefly North American
Beat; hit: Dad came upstairs and whaled me [no object]: they whaled at the water with their paddles...
- With that being said, I whaled the hilt off of her skull, and she fell practically lifeless.
- He really whaled her, screaming and yelling and carrying on like a demented guy.
- I wondered why I should get whaled so, while Nerida, who was older, got off with a You-mustn't-do-that, darling.
Origin
Late 18th century: variant of wale.